PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Copper miner Sandfire Resources has appointed Brendan Harris as its new CEO and MD, following the shock exit of founding CEO Karl Simich at the end of September.

Harris, an exploration geologist, has held senior executive roles with diversified miners BHP and South32, has been a member of South32’s executive management team since its demerger from BHP in 2015 and played a key role in the company’s establishment as its inaugural CFO.

Most recently, he has held the role of chief human resources and commercial officer at South32, with responsibility for global commodity marketing, procurement and human resources. He has also previously served as BHP’s global head of investor relations and, prior to joining BHP in 2010, held various roles in investment banking including as executive director at Macquarie Securities, where he led the Metals & Mining Research team.

“The board is delighted to have secured a leading industry executive of Harris’ calibre and experience in an extremely competitive market for talent,” said Sandfire nonexecutive chairperson John Richards.

“Harris impressed us with his broad range of skills and his vision for Sandfire to be a safe and sustainability-focused, global copper mining company that is well positioned to meet the needs of a rapidly growing market.

“Importantly, Harris shares the board’s views on Sandfire’s strategy for continued, profitable growth and has well-developed ideas on the implementation of that strategy.”

South32 CEO Graham Kerr on Thursday paid tribute to Harris, saying he had been a key part of the company’s journey.

“As our inaugural CFO, he worked with the board to establish our highly regarded capital management framework, which has become a hallmark of our company. Harris and his team also played an instrumental role in defining our approach to climate change, which saw South32 commit to a target of 50% reduction in our operational greenhouse-gas emissions by 2035 and a net zero goal by 2050,” Kerr said.

South32 VP for supply Rob Jackson will take on the role of acting chief human resources and commercial officer until a permanent appointment is made.